Largely impassive through his brief maiden interaction with the Indian media, there were a only a few glimpses of the real Duncan Fletcher that bubbled over the veil

Sriram Veera in Chennai13-May-2011The first thing about Duncan Fletcher that stood out in his maiden press conference in India was his expression – or lack of it. He maintained a largely impassive face over the brief interaction – all of 19 minutes – but there were a few glimpses of the man that occasionally bubbled over the veil.The first came when he was asked whether his philosophy of coaching would suit India and its prevailing superstar culture. He didn’t hem or haw, he didn’t say he would try to fit in, he didn’t say that he was hopeful; instead he nailed the question swiftly and effectively. “Gary Kirsten followed my philosophy … and now, by Gary sort of pushing me for this job by taking my credentials to the BCCI, he realised that my philosophy of coaching is right for India.” There was no trace of arrogance; just a statement of fact: Kirsten’s way was way (or even the other way round).This conference will probably be the gentlest that Fletcher will attend during his tenure. There were around 15 journalists, a motley group from the print and electronic media, and public attention was focused squarely on the election results from five states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. For perhaps the first and last time, an Indian coach’s press conference wasn’t even carried live. It was the calm before the storm.Yet, even in this short span of time Fletcher had to fend off a couple of googlies. Out of the blue came a question about the DRS, which the BCCI has opposed vehemently for some time now. Perhaps unaware of the background, Fletcher said the DRS was here to stay. “I think it’s a system that will come in place. Obviously there are imperfections but once they are sorted out, it will play a role.” Barely had he completed his reply did N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary sitting alongside, intervened. He first turned to Fletcher, whispered something to him and turned to the questioner: “That was a loaded question. Mr Fletcher doesn’t know the BCCI’s stance on DRS. You should have prefaced your question properly. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” Fletcher, as ever, wore that impassive cloak on his face.Later, he was asked his views on the player rotation policy. Again, Srinivasan chose to interject. “It’s a selection matter, no? He can give advice but ultimately it will come down to the selectors. But I am sure when the coach sits in on those meetings his views will be taken on board by the selectors.”The cumulative effect of those two brief statements was seen when Fletcher was asked about the possibility of seniors retiring. “That’s up to the selectors,” he said. “My job is to go out there and offer advice to the players on how to handle some situations. I believe if a player is good enough to play – no matter what his age- he should play. India is fortunate to have outstanding senior players.”There was another moment where his strong character came through, when his unimpressive ODI record as coach of the England team was brought up. “It’s interesting,” Fletcher began, clearly warming up. “I know that was bandied about [in the media]. But when I left Western Province, and Glamorgan, I had a better record in ODIs…if you go and look at my record there. It was somewhere along 13 matches, I think, for Western Province that played against England sides at first-class level. I didn’t lose a match against England … When I played for Zimbabwe, we only played ODIs. As it turned out, we (England) had a better record statistically in tests but I am very comfortable with ODIs.”There was only one genuine faux pas from Fletcher. “Hopefully, my observations on the players will prove useful when I coach the England team.””I mean the Indian team.”

Shane Watson still has much to learn about leadership and Test match batting, but he’s made it his priority, and his tutelage under Warne and Dravid in the IPL will only help

Daniel Brettig05-May-2011Shane Watson is gleaning as much as he can from Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid in the IPL while reconciling himself to the fact the Australian side he is about to drive is not capable of matching their feats. In Warne and Dravid, Watson could not have two better mentors for the tasks ahead, as he and Australia’s new captain, Michael Clarke, embark upon the task of rejuvenating a team that slid to a horrendous Ashes defeat and an early World Cup exit.Not only the most valuable player in the Australian team, Watson is also Clarke’s vice-captain, the winner of the past two Allan Border medals, and the only member of the current side to be considered a natural choice in any contemporary World XI. For all this he remains in a state of development, both as a leader and as a Test opener, where his penchant for handy half-centuries must be built upon if he and his team are to make significant strides over the next 12 months.Little more than two years ago it would have been deemed optimistic in the extreme – if not a little daft – to mention Watson as a Test-captaincy contender. Now he is next in line after Clarke, a position of far greater resonance when the new captain’s decidedly slim past year of Test batting enters the equation.Amid the hustle of the IPL, Watson is seeking to grasp Warne’s tenets of leadership and Dravid’s Test batting, while angling for a little more batting time in the Rajasthan Royals spinners’ net ahead of the August tour of Sri Lanka. Warne’s place as a friend and teacher to Watson and Clarke is significant, and it is arguable that he might have greater influence on the direction of the Australian teams of 2011 and beyond than he did on the team in which he played a vital but rigidly defined role in his later years as a Test player.”Warney’s influence on me, throughout the last three or four years, since I’ve been able to spend a lot more time playing with him, has been very significant on my game, the way I bowl, and reading the game more,” Watson said.”Seeing the things that Warney does, his tactical thinking, really seeing that at work, continues to open my eyes. There’s no doubt his relationship with Michael Clarke has shaped the way Michael does captain, and the tactics he picks as well. I think it’s a brilliant thing because there’s no doubt in my mind that Warney is one of the best minds that’s ever played the game.”The fields he sets and the bowlers he picks – it’s pretty amazing to see the decisions he makes, and the fields that he sets come off nine out of 10 times.”Watson said he hadn’t faced Warne in the nets a lot but was hopeful they could get some time in together over the next few weeks as a lead-in to the Sri Lanka tour.Warne’s tactical spark has begun to fire Watson’s mind, as he trains himself to look beyond the issues of batting, bowling and body that defined his Australian role until quite recently. Looking back to his younger self, perhaps the one that celebrated so unwholesomely at dismissing Chris Gayle in a Test match in Perth in December 2009, Watson can see how much he has grown as a leader.

“The fields he sets and the bowlers he picks, it’s pretty amazing to see the decisions he makes. And the fields that he sets come off nine out of 10 times”Watson is impressed with Warne’s tactical strengths

“Yeah much differently, definitely, because now I know there might be a chance at some stage that I might have to be the person to make the decisions on the field, so my eyes are much more open to what’s being done,” Watson said. “Even over the last six months I’ve tried to open my eyes up to that aspect of the game as well. I’ve definitely got my views and certain ways of thinking tactically, and also [about] the roles of people within the team, so it’s one point of my development that’s really come on. Now to be able to be so close to Warney and see how he goes about it as one of the best in the world, I’m very lucky.”Luck, in the form of the IPL auction, has also played a part in bringing Watson and Dravid together. While they will more than likely spar against one another when India tours Australia later in the year, for now Watson is sitting at the feet of Dravid, among cricket’s most supreme exponents of run accumulation.”That’s the continual fight for every batsman, trying to clear your mind as quickly as possible,” Watson said. “I have been very excited about actually playing with Rahul, from watching him from afar over the last 10 years or more he’s been playing Test cricket, and especially seeing how dominant he has been over his career. So I’m very lucky to talk to him about the ways he’s able to clear his mind and concentrate for long periods of time. That’s the beauty of the IPL, as well: to be able to mix with different people and be able to dive into their mind and be able to find different ways that might work for me.”Finding what works is the great challenge confronting Watson, Clarke and the rest of the Cricket Australia hierarchy, ahead of Test series against Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand, India and West Indies. In Bangladesh, Watson and Clarke were inseparable, whether it was striding out to practice, talking shop while carrying armfuls of batting gear, or chatting purposefully in the team hotel late on the eve of a match.Watson described the week in Dhaka as a chance to articulate a “collective vision” for the future, before Clarke travelled home to discuss things further with team management and the Cricket Australia board. What emerges from these discussions will be better known once the list of centrally contracted players is released, but for now Watson said it was important to define the team by what it can do rather than by what its predecessors did.”My opinion is always that whatever the strengths of your team are, that’s what you’ve got to stick to. We can’t try to emulate what the Australian team did five or six years ago with the amazing talent they had. We’ve got to stick to our strengths and what we have in our team, to be able to try to develop a really good game plan around that. That’s what the next two or three months are going to be, to find and know what the team’s going to be and develop our cricket around our strengths and weaknesses in that team.”There’s no doubt the Australian public do expect us to play the way teams did five or six years ago and how aggressive they were, and all that really came down to how amazingly talented the whole group was. The people playing back then were some of the greats who have ever played the game, and that’s something we’re going to be trying to develop as individuals and as a team.”

England are continually willing to push themselves to their limit, as they showed with a huge chase that felt routine

Andrew Miller at the Rose Bowl07-Sep-2011A day that contained some of the most dank and miserable weather of the summer gave way to a glorious sunset that dipped over the Rose Bowl pavilion just as an improbable 23-over-a-side contest got underway out in the middle. By the time the floodlights had kicked into full life, England were also on full beam, and kicking on to another remarkable victory – their sixth out of six in completed fixtures against an Indian team that is somehow locating a new nadir with each new dawn.England’s latest victory was remarkable in the sense that it ought to have been unexpected – given the size of India’s total and the cobbled-together nature of England’s batting line-up – but it ended up feeling entirely routine. Alastair Cook’s adaptation to one-day cricket has, in its own way, seemed more improbable than his feats of endurance in the Test format, and as he glided to a 63-ball 80 not out (to take his summer’s ODI tally to 382 runs at 76.40 from 381 balls) India’s resolve broke as dramatically as the clouds that had delayed the day’s start until 7pm.Cook, by his own admission, came close to standing down for this contest. Instead it was the insular Jonathan Trott who stepped out of the starting XI to make way for the pugnacious Samit Patel – a recognition of the fact that, in a 23-over sprint, there was no place for a pacemaker. With Kevin Pietersen taking a break and Eoin Morgan laid low with a shoulder problem, England’s batting line-up seemed to have a worrying lack of oomph, and yet you would not believe it from the speed with which they hurtled after India’s testing total of 187 for 8.India seemed to have done everything right with the bat. Parthiv Patel was brisk and abrupt in a 16-ball 28, Ajinkya Rahane unfurled a crisp technique for the third match in a row to anchor their performance with 54 from 47 balls, while Suresh Raina’s transmogrification from the Test series continued with another howitzer of an innings – 40 from 19 balls, including three fours and three sixes. At the precise moment he flogged his third maximum over point off Tim Bresnan, he took his ODI runs tally to 74 from 43 balls. In the Oval Test last month, he floundered to a 42-ball pair.None of that was enough to halt England, however. In part, they owed their momentum to a superb retort from Craig Kieswetter, a batsman whose ability to clear the ropes in the Powerplay overs propelled him straight into the World Twenty20 line-up in the Caribbean last May, but whose stiff-armed response to tidy swing bowling has tended to lay him low in English conditions. Here he produced a throwback performance, not least when he opened his shoulders in Vinay Kumar’s opening over, to batter a length ball over midwicket for six.However, that India failed to trouble Kieswetter, or Cook for that matter, was an indictment of their inadequacies as a bowling unit. England’s attack also struggled on a pitch that Cook later admitted was much better for batting than eight hours of sweating under the covers would have suggested. However they did at least have James Anderson’s waspishness with the new ball to fall back on, as well as Graeme Swann’s purchase in the middle overs, as he applied a handbrake to the run-rate with three wickets for 33 in five excellent overs.India had no-one who could match such diligence. Praveen Kumar had an off-day, as his first two overs were filleted for 23, but the lack of back-up went way beyond the absence of an outright fifth bowler that MS Dhoni bemoaned at the close. R Ashwin’s opening over was defensive leg-side dross that demanded – and received – an attacking response from Kieswetter, and it wasn’t until Bell drove loosely to short cover in the 11th over that England’s run-rate dipped below ten an over.England had their alarms with the bat – mostly when an anxious Ravi Bopara came to the crease, desperate to prove himself but merely muddying his own case with each new muffed decision. He twice came close to running himself out early in his stay, and while a 20-ball 24 served his team’s purpose in the end, he exuded a lack of confidence reminiscent of Owais Shah in the dying days of his own ODI career.There’s still time for Bopara to get it right, and there’s no better place to learn than in a winning outfit, but his stuttering performance was proof that India could have turned the screw, if they’d had anything resembling an attack with which to do so. Their glut of injuries is an excuse that washes only so far, given that England are also feeling the wear and tear of a long season. But as Bell demonstrated in a superlative evening’s work on the long boundary, where he pocketed three catches – one of them outstanding – and saved a certain four with a full-length dive on the edge of the rope, there’s one team that’s willing to push itself to the limit.

Plays of the Day from the Champions League T20 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and South Australia

Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium05-Oct-2011The fours
Daniel Harris made it clear from the start that he was a man in a hurry, swinging hard at everything. There was little reward initially and he scored only 6 off 7 balls. Then it fell in place for him, and he unleashed an unstoppable torrent of boundaries. Nine of his next ten deliveries were dispatched for four as he dismantled S Aravind and Dirk Nannes. By the end of the carnage, Harris was 43 off 17.The first six
You’d think a team that scored at nearly 11 runs an over through the 20 overs would have clouted plenty of sixes. South Australia, though, had only five of them in their innings, and the first of those didn’t come until the 16th over. It was Callum Ferguson who struck the blow, hammering the hapless Aravind over wide long-on.The drop
In the 19th over, Dan Christian mowed a length ball towards deep midwicket. The shot didn’t have enough power on it and was headed straight for the man in the deep, Mayank Agarwal. Christian was so certain that he was going to be dismissed that he cursed himself, and stopped trying to complete the single he had started, in preparation for the walk to the pavilion. Agarwal, though, shelled an absolute sitter, and Christian celebrated the reprieve with five boundaries in the next over.The drop -2
South Australia’s fielding standards were generally far superior to those of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Which made it hard to explain Ferguson dropping a straightforward chance from Kohli in the 15th over. Shaun Tait fired in a leg-stump full toss, which Kohli edged towards midwicket – it didn’t go too high, or too far and Ferguson had plenty of time to get under it and he positioned himself perfectly to pouch. Inexplicably, it popped out of his hands, and bounced on his nose on the way to the ground. Ferguson couldn’t put a finger on how he missed it: “Obviously it’s a big wicket to… to … obviously, it was a drop, it was me, which is pretty disappointing,” is all he could offer by way of explanation. Luckily for him and South Australia, Kohli was dismissed later in the over.The collision
When Michael Klinger and Tom Cooper collided attempting a catch, the first thoughts were about the horrific Steve Waugh-Jason Gillespie collision in 1999. The incident took place in the seventh over, when Chris Gayle miscued the ball towards mid-off. Klinger moved across from extra cover while Cooper ran in from long-off and clearly neither heard the call from the other, perhaps because of the buzz in the Chinnaswamy due to Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan’s rapidfire start. In any case, Klinger hung on to an overhead catch, before colliding with Cooper, who try to move out at the last moment. Klinger seemed to be hit in the thigh by Cooper’s knee, and he rolled over in pain, and had to be helped off the field by the physio.The yorker
With Tait’s bowling, you never know what to expect. Would he go for plenty as he did in his previous match against the Warriors or would he rip through the line-up with his express pace? It all fell in place for Tait today. He could have removed both Dilshan and Kohli, who were pooh-poohing the South Australian bowling with some sublime strokeplay, in his second over. The highlight of his spell, though, was the yorker to dismiss Dilshan in the penultimate over, with the match in balance. It was a searing delivery that swung in, past Dilshan’s defence to take home in to the bottom of middle stump.

Pathbreaking figures from over a century of Western Province cricket fill the pages of a vital new reference work

Firdose Moonda22-Jan-2012The first editorial in the Xhosa newspaper , founded in 1884, was about cricket.When cricket was revived after World War II in Cape Town, the feeder system for club cricket was a community led by an who had been freed from Robben Island.Afro-pop diva Brenda Fassie’s half-brother, Soloman, scored the first century for Langa Cricket Club.Without none of these facts would have come to wider light.Andre Odendaal, the Western Province chief executive; Krish Reddy, the cricket historian; and statistician Andrew Samson spent eight years researching and compiling a holistic history of cricket in the province. The result is 440 pages spanning over a century and recording the details of the 12 provincial boards, including the women’s union, that have existed in the area to date.Each of the boards has a brief introduction followed by a comprehensive list of cricketers who played under that administration and the results of matches. More than 500 players who were largely unknown before the book was written, and 250 matches that were never recorded, are listed, making this the most complete record of cricket in the province.Apart from Kwa-Zulu Natal, Western Province also has the most culturally diverse history of cricket, and the book aims to capture that diversity. Cricket played by people of all colours is documented – which Odendaal said he hopes will erase the notion of “us and them; that the history of cricket in South Africa is the possession of the old establishment”.Although the writing is sparse, it is hugely informative. The most telling is Odendaal’s foreword, “Saying yes to life”, which touches on the legacy of the three people he dedicated the book to: Nathaniel Umhalla, Krom Hendriks and Hasan Howa were leaders of the game among their people, and Odendaal has worked tirelessly for the recognition of the cricketing cultures they were part of.The 1300-word appetiser tantalises with the beginnings of rich, previously untold stories, but the format of the book does not allow for a main course. Instead, overviews of each period, all written by Odendaal, provide bite-sized chunks of a sporting history that could well be a seven-course meal and more.The focus is on facts and stats, two things cricket lovers treasure. They will feast on the numbers here. Western Province’s various bodies have won 123 titles between them in their 121-year existence; and 217 players from there have earned national caps.Lists, many and meticulous, decorate the pages. They contain the names of players who represented the province in any capacity, officially and unofficially. Some will be familiar, such as Hylton Ackerman and Peter Kirsten. Some will ring a bell, like Vincent Barnes and Faiek Davids. And others, like Ben Malamba, regarded as the most talented black African cricketer of his day, will likely never have been heard of outside South Africa.Odendaal confirmed that the lists are incomplete, and that there are players and matches that have not been accounted for, but the book provides a solid foundation for a knowledge base that can be added to in future.The visual element of the book is equally eye-catching. From the gazette notice of the first recorded cricket match in South Africa, played in Cape Town in 1808, to newspaper clippings through the years and photographs of teams from across the racial divide provides the full palette of the history of the game.As a reference book, this one is unmatched in its genre and will serve as the authority on the history of cricket in the Cape.The Blue Book: A History of Western Province Cricket 1890-2011
Andre Odendaal, Krish Reddy and Andrew Samson
Jacana Media

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the third Test at Cape Town

Firdose Moonda at Newlands06-Jan-2012Comedy of the day

South Africa expected to finish things off early on the fourth morning but were denied by stubborn resistance from Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Matthews. Their best chance of dislodging one of the pair came with a run-out opportunity. Matthews defended the ball into the covers and called for the run. By the time he decided against it, Samaraweera was halfway down the pitch and Alviro Petersen had his eye trained on the stumps. Samaraweera gave up but Petersen’s throw went completely wrong and found Morne Morkel at mid-on, allowing Samaraweera enough time to get back.Shot of the day

Samaraweera made full use of his let off in the morning session and played a second convincing knock on tour. He scored the bulk of his runs on the leg side but his best shot came with a pin straight drive down the ground off Vernon Philander, South Africa’s most threatening bowler. The delivery was full and Samaraweera used the length to play an aerial shot past Philander that raced to the boundary for four.Review of the day

With the match heading to an inevitable conclusion, reviews were expected to be plentiful and careless. Graeme Smith decided to go upstairs for an appeal for a catch off Thilan Samaraweera when everyone including Mark Boucher was unconvinced that he had hit it. But the desperate review came when Matthews was given out lbw off Philander. The ball struck him below the knee roll, in front of middle stump and all he may have been wondering was whether it was going to hit the top half of the wickets or the bottom. Matthews was obviously trying to prolong his stand with Samaraweera but no amount of technology could help him do that.Wicket of the day

South Africa needed six sticks to finish the series off and the best of them was the one that saw Rangana Herath walk back to the changing room. A fired up Jacques Kallis, who has been bowling spells of over 140 kph, banged one in short. Herath was done for pace and lobbed the ball up to Kallis, who took the catch stooping low in his follow-through. It gave him his third wicket and his sixth pouch – a record for the most number of catches by an outfielder at Newlands and equalled the record for the most number of catches by a South African in a match. And alongside his 224, the obvious man of the match.Aerial shot of the day

The innings was coming to a close, Sri Lanka’s lower order decided to have some fun in the sun. Dhammika Prasad had two lucky escapes while lashing out. When he mis-hit Imran Tahir to long off, Morne Morkel spilled the catch as Tahir was already halfway towards him. Famous for his over-the-top celebrations, Tahir was also mid air-punch when he had to turn back to his mark. Two balls later, Prasad tried to take Tahir on again and swing wildly to mid-wicket. The ball swirled in the air but eluded Petersen to leave Tahir in distress again.Mini-milestone of the day

Sri Lanka will be able to take some heart from making South Africa bat again, even if it was only to score two runs. Chanaka Welegedara gave his team the most slender lead when he smashed Kallis for six, over his head, the ball before being clean bowled. Sri Lanka avoided an innings defeat and prolonged the match for an extra 10 minutes. It took just one ball, which not a legitimate delivery as Prasad overstepped, to end the match and give South Africa their first series win at home since 2008. The first target in Test matches ever achieved off 0.0 overs.

Kumar Sangakkara’s nine-hour innings ended with him being stranded on 199. He was angry then, but cooled off soon enough

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Galle23-Jun-2012Kumar Sangakkara refused to articulate what had gone through his mind as he stormed back to the pavilion. “I don’t think I can tell you,” he said, and burst out laughing. He had had enough time to cool off and gather his thoughts by the time he was asked to relive his 562-minute innings.He wasn’t laughing, though, when he watched Sri Lanka’s No. 11, Nuwan Pradeep, get bowled by Mohammad Hafeez’s offbreak. Sangakkara had become only the second batsman, after Andy Flower, to get stranded on 199 in Tests. Cricket, being such a numbers obsessed game, will probably remember his innings for the one run he didn’t get, rather than the labour behind the 199 achieved in just under two days in sultry Galle.At one stage, the scoreboard had indicated Sangakkara was one big hit away from 200. He obliged with a massive slog off Saeed Ajmal over deep midwicket and celebrated, only to be told he was actually one short. That scoreboard error, which had him on 194 instead of 193, fooled nearly everyone at the ground. Sangakkara’s team-mates in the dressing room gesticulated wildly, suggesting his celebrations were premature, and he needed a few seconds for the embarrassment to settle.Sangakkara had an opportunity to take the single off the last ball of the same over, but ended up pushing too hard to the cover fielder, thus exposing Pradeep in the following over. He admitted his adrenalin levels had dropped.With wickets falling at the other end before tea, Sangakkara had had to farm the strike. The fielders were placed deep, so it was always going to be a slow graft in the energy-sapping heat. He didn’t have much confidence in Rangana Herath and hence had to choose his singles wisely. When push came to shove, Sangakkara punched hard wide of long-off and rushed Herath for the second run. Umar Gul’s throw to the bowler’s end was too quick and accurate for Herath to make his ground. With only Pradeep for company, Sangakkara charged Hafeez but miscued the loft, only to be dropped by the bowler himself.Sangakkara said there was no point beating himself up for what had happened. “I was thinking about getting as close as possible [to 200] so if I’m a shot away, I’ll take that shot on,” he said. “It was a case of trying to farm the strike with the tailenders, with the hope that we could get to a total of 500. I don’t usually count until I’m six or seven short of where I want to be.”The scoreboard showed 194 and so did the screen, so what can you do, that’s life. It [the scorecard error] was an honest mistake. You’ve got to learn to live with disappointments. I’d rather be on 199 than 1 or 2 or 0.”There were references to his heroic 192 against Australia in Hobart, where he was denied a double-century due to an umpiring error, for which Rudi Koertzen apologised later. Sangakkara said experience had taught him to deal with such setbacks.”You need to be on your own for five minutes, take a few deep breaths, calm yourself,” he said. “It’s strange how you change as a player. When you’re young, you’re angry and you throw the bat in the dressing room. Now, when you go back and take a breather, you realise there are bigger things than getting out or not out on 199. As long as you put everything in perspective, you’ll be fine. You just have to stay calm.”It’s also my dad’s birthday today, and he’s been coaching me since I was 14 so I might not have to buy him a gift.”There was plenty to be satisfied about. During his unbeaten 199, Sangakkara became the quickest to 2000 Test runs against a single opponent, reaching the milestone in 26 innings. He was faster than Sunil Gavaskar (28 innings v West Indies), Brian Lara (28 v England) and Don Bradman (29 v England).Sangakkara has been Pakistan’s nemesis from the first time he took guard against them in Lahore, during the Asian Test Championship final in 2002. His 230 set up Sri Lanka’s win. His other massive scores against Pakistan include a 185 in Colombo in 2006 and 211 in Abu Dhabi last year.He rates his Lahore knock his best. “That attack on a greener Lahore pitch was definitely better than this as I played against Shoaib [Akhtar], [Mohammad] Sami, [Abdul] Razzaq and Waqar [Younis]. That always sticks in my memory as my best against Pakistan.”

Andrew Strauss wasn’t the best batsman to play 100 Tests, but he was one of the most successful England captains, and a pretty good ODI batsman too

S Rajesh29-Aug-2012Andrew Strauss finished his career with exactly 100 Tests, but the ones in which he made the most impact were the 50 in which he captained. His overall average in the Tests in which he led was almost as much as those in which he didn’t – 40.76 as captain, and 41.04 as non-captain.As captain, though, he achieved some outstanding results, especially in home matches. Not surprisingly, most of the tributes had plenty to say about his leadership and man-management skills. Hugh Morris, England’s managing director, said Strauss’ time at the top would be cherished for his “remarkable leadership and direction”. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said Strauss will be remembered “for leading the side to two Ashes victories and to the top of the Test rankings. He has shown tremendous integrity, dedication and commitment both on and off the field and under his leadership the side has grown immeasurably. His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come and we now need to continue to build on the progress we have made under his leadership.”Let’s leave aside the intangibles and focus on the results. In 50 Tests that Strauss led, England won 24 and lost 11, which is a win-loss ratio of 2.18. Among captains who’ve led in at least 40 Tests, only six have a better ratio, including Michael Vaughan, whom Strauss replaced. In fact, the captaincy stats are remarkably similar for the two: Vaughan captained in one more Test, and won two more, for a marginally better win-loss ratio.

Captains with best win-loss ratios (Qual: 40 Tests)

CaptainTestsW/LRatioWin %Steve Waugh5741/ 94.5571.92Viv Richards5027/ 83.3754.00Ricky Ponting7748/ 163.0062.33Clive Lloyd7436/ 123.0048.64Hansie Cronje5327/ 112.4550.94Michael Vaughan5126/112.3650.98Andrew Strauss50#24/ 112.1848.00Mark Taylor5026/ 132.0052.00Peter May4120/ 102.0048.78Imran Khan4814/ 81.7529.16Graeme Smith9444/ 261.6946.80Among England captains, only Michael Atherton and Vaughan led the team in more Tests. Had Strauss led in India, he would have equalled Atherton’s mark of 54 Tests as captain, the record for England. Atherton led 54 times, mostly in the 1990s, but it was a tough period for English cricket – with Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and even West Indies in pretty good shape, England struggled for victories during that period, winning only 13 against 21 defeats.

England captains who led the team in the most Tests

CaptainTestsW/ LDrawW/L ratioMichael Atherton5413/ 21200.61Michael Vaughan5126/ 11142.36Andrew Strauss5024/11152.18Nasser Hussain4517/ 15131.13Peter May4120/ 10112.00The achievement that Strauss will perhaps be remembered for the most is the two series victories against Australia. In ten Tests against them under Strauss’ leadership, England won five and lost two, which is the best win-loss ratio any England captain has had against Australia since Mike Brearley’s 11-4 record in 18 Tests between 1977 and 1981. Since then, most England captains have lost more than they’ve won against Australia, with the only exceptions being Mike Gatting and Vaughan (2-1 records for both). David Gower had a 3-5 record, Graham Gooch was 0-5 down, Atherton 4-9, Nasser Hussain 2-6, and Andrew Flintoff a miserable 0-5 in five Tests.Under Strauss, England had a winning ratio against all teams except South Africa, against whom he had a 1-3 record. The two previous long-term England captains struggled against South Africa too – Hussain had a 1-2 record, while Vaughan was 4-5. The captaincy terms for both of them also ended during or just after a home series against South Africa.

England captains with highest success rate in Tests against Australia (Qual: 10 Tests)

CaptainTestsW/ LDrawRatioLen Hutton104/ 154.00Mike Brearley1811/ 432.75WG Grace138/ 322.67Andrew Strauss105/ 232.50Ray Illingworth114/ 252.00Since Hussain took over captaincy in 1999, England have three captains who’ve led in more than 40 Tests. The table below compares their captaincy numbers both home and away. Strauss’ stats at home stand out – he had a 19-4 win-loss record, which was 19-2 before South Africa came along this summer (and that makes their 2-0 series win even more impressive). However, Strauss’ away results aren’t so emphatic, with series defeats in the West Indies and the UAE against Pakistan, and draws in South Africa and Sri Lanka. The one top-notch result was in Australia.England’s overseas results were better under Vaughan, but then he didn’t lead the team in Australia or in India, two countries which are among the most difficult for touring teams. He did achieve a series win in South Africa, though, and a 3-0 rout in the West Indies. Hussain’s highlights were the series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, feats that neither of the other two captains managed.

Comparing the captaincy records of Hussain, Vaughan and Strauss

OpponentHussain (H)-W/LAway-W/LVaughan (H)-W/LAway-W/LStrauss (H)-W/LAway-W/LAustralia1/ 21/ 42/ 1-2/ 13/ 1Bangladesh–2/ 02/ 02/ 0-India1/ 10/ 10/ 1-4/ 0-New Zealand1/ 21/ 14/ 02/ 1–Pakistan1/ 01/ 0-0/ 16/ 10/ 3South Africa0/ 01/ 22/ 42/ 10/ 21/ 1Sri Lanka2/ 02/ 1-0/ 21/ 01/ 1West Indies2/ 1-7/ 03/ 04/ 00/ 1Zimbabwe3/ 0—–Total11/ 66/ 917/ 69/ 519/ 45/ 7Strauss in ODIsStrauss’ Test career was the more impressive, but he didn’t do badly in ODIs either, especially when compared with other England batsmen. Only four England batsmen scored more ODI runs than he did, while his average (35.63) and strike rate (80.94) were pretty good too.

Highest run-scorers in ODIs for England

BatsmanODIsRunsAverageStrike rate100s/ 50sPaul Collingwood197509235.3676.985/ 26Alec Stewart170467731.6068.364/ 28Marcus Trescothick123433537.3785.2112/ 21Graham Gooch125429036.9861.888/ 23Andrew Strauss127420535.6380.946/ 27Kevin Pietersen125416642.5186.909/ 23Allan Lamb122401039.3175.544/ 26And if someone were to pop up this trivia question – ‘Who’s the only England batsman to make three 150-plus scores in ODIs’ – the answer to that would be Strauss. In fact, only two other England batsmen – David Gower and Robin Smith – have ever made more than 150 in an ODI, and both have done it just once.Strauss’ sedate batting style would have made him an unlikely candidate to make so many 150-plus scores, but he has managed to convert 50% of his centuries into 150-plus scores. Two of those have been against Bangladesh, but his highest ODI innings came – quite fittingly – in a more memorable and high-profile match: against India in the 2011 World Cup, chasing a mammoth 339 for victory, Strauss scored a stunning 158 as England levelled India’s total.Strauss is in fact a member of a select band of six batsmen who’ve made three of more 150-plus scores. Only two batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya – have made more than three, while the others he’s tied with are all legends of ODI cricket: Chris Gayle, Brian Lara and Viv Richards.Strauss’ highest ODI score came in a run-chase, and his overall numbers were much better too when batting second: he scored 2243 runs in chases at 40.78, and a strike rate of 84.35. Among England batsmen, only Marcus Trescothick has scored 2000-plus ODI runs at a higher average.And while his Test stats didn’t change much with captaincy, his ODI batting definitely improved after he became captain: he averaged 39.45 at a strike rate of 86.54 in the 62 matches in which he led; in 65 when he didn’t his average dropped to 31.68, at a strike rate of 74.71. (Click here for Strauss’ career summary in ODIs.) As captain, Strauss’ ODI numbers are better than most England captains: he has scored more runs than anyone else, and at a much better average than Hussain, Vaughan, Atherton and Gooch, the next four in the aggregate list among England captains.# 07:30 GMT, Aug 30: Changed from 49 to 50

Ahead of Stuart Broad’s 50th Test appearance, and 100th first-class game, he reflects on his career to date

Interview by George Dobell16-Aug-20122005: The beginning
I had an offer from Durham University and a contract offer from Leicestershire. I took the contract home to my mum and we decided I should approach my cricket career as someone else might an apprenticeship in another profession, such as plumbing. University was a real temptation, but the decision worked well, and a year or so later I was playing for England.2006: England ODI debut
I had only played six List A games before my ODI debut, so the selectors took a bit of a gamble on me. But there are two ways to learn, aren’t there? You can spend years learning your trade in the county game, or you can be thrown in at the deep end. I feel very fortunate that they did that with me. It was an intense experience, but I learned quickly and feel it was hugely beneficial for me. I’m 26 now and most bowlers peak between 28 and 32.2007: Being hit for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh
It was a learning experience. I’d had a good summer but, it turned out, I didn’t have the variations required for that level of international cricket. When you’re growing up, you’re taught to bowl six balls in the same spot, but after that I learned pretty quickly that you have to mix it up. It was all part of the learning curve. The other thing was, at least that over didn’t cost us anything. We were already out of the competition and it was a dead game.2008: Leaving Leicestershire for Nottinghamshire
I developed through the system at Leicestershire and consider myself very fortunate to have done so. They were fantastic for me. A bigger, richer club wouldn’t have put me in the first team so soon but at Grace Road I had lots of opportunity. But, at the time, I wasn’t in the Test side and the view was that I needed to be playing Division One cricket. There’s a huge gap between the two divisions now. Nottinghamshire have been brilliant. Mick Newell is an amazing coach and man manager, the facilities are excellent, and it’s a big club playing in the top division. I’ve not looked back.2009: Man of the Match at The Oval as England beat Australia to reclaim the Ashes
That changed my life. I was only 23 and it had been a tough summer, but that spell turned it around. It was a special time. And the celebrations after the series were even more special. We became celebrities after that series. It was the biggest series I had played to date and, at the time, it was probably my career highlight.2011: Hat-trick against India at Trent Bridge
That’s what I see as my career highlight. It annoys me when people say India were rubbish in that series. It makes me think that they know nothing about cricket. India were a very strong side and, until then, they had us under real pressure. We were under the pump in that game. We had been bowled out cheaply in the first innings and they passed us with only four wickets down. But then I was able to put my hand up in a big game on my home ground and we bowled them out in about an hour. India were a good side, but we were fantastic in that series.Current workload
I’m not one to complain about playing cricket. We’re very lucky, aren’t we? I love playing cricket, and when you think about those people who have to get up on a cold morning and go to work on a building site, you realise pretty quickly no one wants to hear us moaning. It’s true that we’re away from home a lot, but a million people would swap positions with us in an instant. And you’re a long time retired.Yes, I play all three formats and yes I’d like to play IPL, but the priority is playing for England. It is with most guys. When you look back on your career, it is the memories you make playing for your country that are most special.The England set-up is very well managed now, too. Andrew Flintoff just played until he broke. That doesn’t happen anymore. Every ball we deliver, in the nets or in the middle, is monitored, and we are told when we need a break. We’re very well looked after.Bowling speeds this summer
I don’t think the speed guns should be trusted. We don’t really see the figures from those as players, anyway, but the way I understand it, the speeds have been down for the South Africa bowlers too. There’s no way Dale Steyn is bowling at 79mph, I promise you. We use Hawk-Eye data2012: South Africa at Lord’s
This Test against South Africa is huge. We have a good record at Lord’s and we are very excited by the challenge. It is a must-win game and we are up against one of the best sides we’ve played. It’s a huge challenge but one I absolutely believe we can overcome.Stuart Broad was speaking at West Bridgfordians CC. The club is one of three who have won the chance to take on the NatWest Legends in a one-off match to help boost their fundraising efforts. To find out more about the NatWest Locals vs Legends T20 Series and for more details about all three matches, visit natwest.com/cricket

Angelo Mathews is the man Sri Lanka turn to when they need a finisher in a chase. He talks about the pressure of the role, his Test form, and captaincy ambitions

Interview by Damith Samarakoon29-Aug-2012You often mentioned at the start of your career that you want to be a genuine allrounder. Now that you are a few years in, do you feel that you are? Do you see yourself as a batsman who bowls or a bowler who bats?
Right now, I see myself as more of a batting allrounder. I’d like to improve my bowling a little bit more. But in the recent past, I think I’ve been bowling pretty well. But that’s certainly an area I need to work on. Overall, I feel like I’m doing all right in both departments. Having said that, I still have a long way to go and there is still a lot to learn.You mentioned you want to improve your bowling, but there is some thought that you should be bowling less, taking into consideration the injury concerns you’ve had in recent times.
Bowlers do tend to get injured more often but that’s part of the game. And just because I’ve been injured a few times I’m not willing to give up my bowling. I want to keep bowling for as long as possible. It’s all about balancing and trying to manage your workload. I’ve been playing in all three formats and it’s very demanding as an allrounder to cope with that pressure and workload. Mahela [Jayawardene], the management and the selectors are very understanding. When you play a long season you tend to get these niggles and wear and tear. They understand that. I usually talk to Mahela regarding the workload but it goes both ways. It’s hard for a captain to reserve your bowlers, but he understands how to use me.As an allrounder are there any players who you admire or have tried model yourself on?
Garry Sobers is someone I’ve always looked at as the pinnacle. He is the best allrounder and someone I would like to emulate. Obviously, no one can match up to Sobers but he is someone I look at as the ideal. Apart from him, Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff are two players I looked up to when I was growing up.You’ve also worked with Chaminda Vaas in the past. What did you learn from him?
When I was in school he used to come around and help out with the players, and I worked with him then. I also played a couple of seasons of club cricket with him and got to learn a few things from him there. Vaasy always wants to see the younger cricketers do well so he loves to help out when he can. Whenever I’ve had any questions or want to learn something he’s been around to help out.Who would you say has had the most impact on your career from a technical and mental point of view since you broke into the national side?
From the mental side of things, my father and my brother have been a great source of strength. They always back me in whatever I do. They watch all my games and are not afraid to tell me when I’ve done something wrong or point out areas which I can improve on.From a cricketing point of view, I talk to Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. They’ve been around for more than a decade now and know what it’s all about. Early in my career, at the Under-19 level, our coach Chandika Hathurusinghe was a great influence on me. And presently, our batting coach Marvan Atappattu and the rest of the coaching staff have been very supportive.Why do you think it took so long for you to get your first Test hundred?
I actually got a 99 in my second series and was unfortunately run out against India. It took me a while to get over that and to reach that landmark. Maybe it shouldn’t have taken that long but Test cricket tests your abilities. I think I’ve learned my game now and know what I need to do to get a hundred. It’s a huge learning curve when playing Test cricket for your country. You can’t just turn up and do well.That innings came under some scrutiny in the media as a “selfish” innings because you batted slowly instead of going for runs to set up the game for the team. What is your reaction to that?
It was a slower innings than how I usually play, but then again it was a Test match and I was batting with the tail. And in the couple of innings before in the series, when the tail was in, they were shot out pretty quickly. I wanted to make sure they didn’t get out quickly and that they played only a limited amount of balls. People are always going to have different opinions and you can’t always play to please everyone. You need to understand that it is a game and the team has its own goals. Whatever anyone has to say, you have to try and ignore and move on.Are you concerned about struggling to put up consistent scores in Tests?
I think I’ve scored a half-century in most of the games I’ve played over the last year. But one thing I do struggle with is with converting those fifties into hundreds. That has to do with the position I bat at, the fact that most of the time I bat with the tail, and the difficult situations I face in those positions. I need to learn how to convert those starts into bigger scores. And that applies to the one-day format as well. Usually, when I go in to bat there are only a few overs left and most of the time I bat in different positions. It’s not an excuse, but the situations are always different and very demanding. It’s not always easy.There is some thought about you moving up the order, especially in Tests. Is that something you want and do you think you are ready for that challenge?
Definitely. I am happy to move up the order because I think I will be able to offer more for the team. I know I can bat according to the situation, but right now the team needs me at No. 6 to finish off an innings and the team always comes first. With an average of 69, it’s fair to say you have struggled with the ball in Tests. What’s going wrong?
As far as Test matches are concerned I’m not considered a strike bowler. I’ve always been a line-and-length bowler, even in one-dayers. My job is to try to keep things tight. If I get a couple of wickets then that is always going to be a bonus. But like I said before, in Test matches you have to learn a lot and it’s still the early stages of my career. But I definitely need to improve on my bowling in that format. Also, I haven’t bowled a lot in Test matches because of some of the injuries I’ve had. I think I’ve only bowled in maybe ten or 15 games out of the 26 I’ve played. I’m working on a few things with our bowling coach Champaka Ramanayeke, but yes, there is a lot of room for improvement.You are now seen as playing the finisher’s role in ODIs. Is that something you set out to be when you started in the team or just sort of stumbled into it?
It started when I was the captain of the U-19 side, batting around No. 4 or 5. I always try to give myself a chance to bat till the end because I know I can catch up later on. I know how to approach the game from that position and go about finishing off an innings.

“As far as Test matches are concerned I’m not considered a strike bowler. I’ve always been a line-and-length bowler, even in one-dayers. My job is to try to keep things tight. If I get a couple of wickets then that is always going to be a bonus”

You’ve played some amazing innings for Sri Lanka in that role in the past but there are some critics who think you don’t take the side home enough times or that you’ve not been able to help set up games batting first.
I think that is a little unfair, because as far as my role is concerned it’s always about assessing different opposition and situations when I go out to bat. And having to do that it in a very short amount of time is not always easy. I reckon that Nos. 5, 6 and 7 have the hardest job in the team, because finishing off a game or setting up a game from that position is difficult. But now we have guys like Jeewan Mendis and Thisara Perera stepping up, so it’s great to be able to play with them to share some of that responsibility.Do you feel added pressure when you come out to bat because of the expectations?
Not really, because whatever the fans expect or the team expects, I try to give myself the best chance. At the end of the day, this is a sport and you can get out. But most of the time I back myself and I know I can do well if I stay till the end. I don’t try to think a lot when I am out there batting. I just try to be myself, be positive and take things to the end.At the MCG in 2010, at 107 for 8, chasing 240, had you given up?
We never thought we’d win from that stage on. But we took the Powerplay and wanted to see how it would go and have a bit of fun. When we got to around 190-200, that’s when we actually thought we could do it. [Lasith] Malinga at the other end was hitting the ball awesomely. But, until we got to around 190, I never thought we could win. But we didn’t give up hope.In situations like that and Perth in 2012, how do you approach your batting and handle that pressure?
At the start I usually like to get the feel of the wicket and the situation. I don’t mind playing out a few dot balls because I back myself to catch up later on. And I try to target specific bowlers as well because you can’t go after all of them. You need to be calculated in who you target and when you attack. You also need to try to get the best out of your batting partner. I do get a bit nervous at the start but you always try to keep calm because you know what you can do. It’s all about self-belief, I guess.Tell us about your experiences captaining some of the youth sides of Sri Lanka.
I’ve been captain of the U-15, U-17 and U-19 sides, and it was a great experience for me. It was in those age levels I learned the importance of batting till the end of an innings, particularly being captain of the side. It was a fun and exciting time. It was, of course, a lot of responsibility. I learned how to manage players and how to get the best out of your team-mates.You are often touted as the next Sri Lankan captain. If Mahela Jayawardene steps down after a year as he said he would, do you think you are ready to take on the job?
I’ve captained the Sri Lankan side recently in a one-day match and also in a T20 match and I’m also leading the Nagenahira side in the SLPL so I do have a bit of experience in leading major sides. But the team had a rough patch at the end of last year for about six months, and Mahela was to take over for a while to just steady the ship. Which, of course, worked well, because he knows what he is doing and knows how to get things done. He is a great captain. I think if he can continue, not just for a year, even five years, then he should be the guy to do that. Being his deputy is another great experience for me. It’s a case of waiting and seeing how things go, but I’m really not expecting anything to change in the immediate future.What would Mathews the captain bring to the table?
I have my own way of doing things but the team is also very professional so I don’t think it will be a very difficult job. It’s all about trying to get the best out of the players. They handle themselves very professionally, so hopefully that will make my task a lot easier whenever the time comes.You started your career under Sangakkara, then Dilshan and now under Mahela. What have you learnt from each of them?
They are different in their approach to the game and their thinking but they were all good captains. Each of them knew how to get things done from the players and motivate them. I learned a lot about how they strategise, how they handle the players and their decision-making processes. All three have done great service to the country, so I took it as an opportunity to look up to them and learn as much as possible.What impact has Twenty20 cricket had on you as a player?
I guess the main thing has been the pace it has added to cricket – not just in Twenty20 cricket, but also in the ODI and Test formats. You now see a lot of very high scores in ODIs as well. I think that is because batsmen are more open to taking chances throughout an innings. Maybe before T20, batsmen might have been thinking twice before going for a big shot but now they aren’t afraid to do that. So cricket is improving and it’s becoming faster. Teams and players are thinking in advance and tend to anticipate things more. Cricket has gotten more exciting because of it.Sri Lanka are coming off a very long season. You’ve been a part of the IPL, you are now a part of the SLPL. How do you find the motivation?
It all comes down to the passion I have for the game, which is immense. Of course, it is demanding and we’ve had a very hectic schedule for the past one and half years and will for the next year or two as well. And that’s when the team management and management of your workload come into play. Especially, when you play as an allrounder you need to be a lot fitter than the others. I spend a lot of time in the gym so I don’t have a problem with all the cricket that is being played, but getting adequate rest is also important. It’s about finding the right balance.What it’s like to lead a group of individuals who come from all sorts of backgrounds, as captain of the Nagenahira Nagas?
It’s not easy because we all come from different cultures and backgrounds, but the boys have been nice and are looking to have a bit of fun. The team has played with a lot of freedom and the results speak for themselves. We’ve won all the matches we’ve played so far. All the guys are playing to their potential. We don’t have many big names in the side as the other teams but the team has gelled together well. The unity is pretty good and we are all enjoying each other’s company.How do you view the SLPL benefiting Sri Lanka?
I think the SLPL is a great opportunity for the future of Sri Lankan cricket, especially for the local players who are now getting a lot of experience and exposure. They get to share a dressing room with the cream of the intentional players as well the country’s national players. Facing up to international bowlers, bowling to international batsmen, it’s an experience they otherwise wouldn’t have gotten. We’ve never had a domestic structure at a provincial level so it’s great to see this tournament being put together to make a provincial cricket structure come true.”Mahela is a great captain. I think if he can continue, not just for a year, even five years, then he should be the guy to do that”•AFPIt’s been a difficult time since the World Cup off the field – issues with pay, board politics. Was that a big distraction for you as a player?
It can be, but we are all professional players and we know that cricket is our where our earnings come from. Everything has been sorted now. The cricket board went through some difficulties but the players were very supportive of that. There were never any thoughts of striking or anything like that. As players we love our country and we love the sport so we are always ready to make the sacrifice when needed to keep things moving forward.What was it like to miss the World Cup final through injury?
I can safely say that was the worst day of my life. When I got injured in the semi-final I immediately knew that it was pretty bad. I tried to do the best I could to get back in to fitness with the help of Dr Young, but to be honest, with only a couple of days to go there was no chance of a tear like that healing in time. It was very disappointing. It was one of my dreams to play in a World Cup final and win it for my country, but unfortunately that just didn’t work out. Sitting on the sidelines you feel helpless because you want to do something to help your team. We got a pretty good score on that day and we got a couple of wickets early as well, but the wicket was very good to bat on. The guys played brilliantly and did their best. I can’t say that if I had played that I could have made a difference because the rest of the team did incredibly well. It was just a matter of India being better on the day.